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Archives for September 2021

A Lesson from Cycling-Don’t Follow the Wrong Crowd in Voiceovers

September 8, 2021 by Leesha S

Have you ever been on your way following someone or something only later to find out that you were wrong? Well, I recently had that happen to me. A few days ago, I went on a bicycle ride with a new club. Strangely enough, halfway into the ride, I realized I was following the wrong group of cyclists. Would you believe it that I thought about voiceovers and my auditions and business practices? While my story started with a bike ride, my little blunder reminded me of the importance of following the right leads and looking for the right kind of voice over work. Don’t follow the wrong crowd, even in voiceovers. Find your proper course.

Who’s Zooming Who?

When we started the bike ride, the ride leader and about 15 of us started on our way out of the parking lot onto the long, quiet road in front of us. The entire club group (including my group) consisted of about 100 cyclists in several small groups. I assumed each group had its route based on the various clusters, but this was not the case. What I did not realize is that my group shared the same route as another faster group.

During our first climb, several cyclists started passing me, going up a hill. So, I assumed I was falling behind. As such, I began to work harder to catch up with this cluster of “speed demons.” Peddling faster and harder, I was putting my all into catching up, but I still stayed a few feet behind and never really made the connection.

At first, I thought that I was not ready for my group or not as good of a cyclist as I had thought. Assuming that I was with the proper cyclists, I couldn’t understand why so many passed me. But me being me, I kept trying to ride faster. I didn’t know any of the faces of the speeders, but I attributed that to my being new to the group.

When I slowed down to let a group of other riders catch me, someone in the group told me I was leaving my assigned group. The faster cyclists were a part of another group. I was following the next speed of riders and had left my original group almost a half-mile behind. (Not a good first impression.) Awkwardly, I had left my small group of seasoned cyclists and was now exhausting myself trying to catch up to a different group of stronger riders. I was following the right course but the wrong crowd.

Follow Your Proper Course

There are some great lessons in my story. As related to voiceovers, you can probably see the parallels:

Know and be who you are. When it comes to voice acting, make sure you pursue voice-over jobs that adapt well to your skill sets. The industry is constantly changing, so make sure your skills rank you at the top of your genre.

Audition within your values. This is more important than ever. Make sure you’re not auditioning or accepting voiceover jobs just for the money. Money comes and goes, but your integrity and good name are priceless.

Stay within your comfort level. There is a saying in the business that you should only do what’s fun. So make sure you’re still having fun. If that killer instinct to compete for the high-dollar commercial jobs is working for you, then go for it. If not, find what will work for you and your best market.

Work your genre, well. We’re all changing, so is your sound changing or becoming more mature? Notice your speech and inflections to make sure you fit into the right voiceover niche for you personally and professionally.

Life teaches us the right path is rarely the easy one.” Roy T. Bennett

Working hard to follow the “in-crowd” will only wear you out as it depletes the spirit and the drive of your purpose. It’s okay to follow the slower crew. It’s okay if you don’t constantly run after projects that can make you thousands of dollars and land your voice on national commercials. It may be better to pursue jobs that are more fulling and enable you to develop long-term relationships with solid clients. Perhaps, it’s time for more local work or work closer to your values and goals.

Don’t get lost following the wrong (voice over) crowd. Instead, find your proper course. Now, I’m careful to ride and voice with the right group. Keep having fun as you break that lip.

Filed Under: Business Renewal, Business Tips, Uncategorized, VO Business Tips

In Voiceovers-Just Be You

September 1, 2021 by Leesha S

Sign Pointing Two DirectionsI’ve just returned from a lovely voiceover conference.  It was my first real jaunt since the COVID-19 lock downs, so I was looking forward to the time away from my city. To my surprise, I learned something unexpected at the conference.  Nothing new was added to my knowledge, but more of a reminder of the importance of being myself.  It’s essential to keep in mind our specialness and worth.  I believe you’ll agree that the real you is your best performance at whatever you do in life.

Somewhere between December 2020 and August 2021, the voiceover industry’s preferred style changed yet again.  The calming voice of season individuals between the ages of 35-55 is now passé. Instead, the current (as of this writing) industry norm has changed (back) to the younger, hipper, conversational tone.  The announcer tone that has been a mainstay for decades in media is again seen as unthinkable.

Change is a regular part of the voice-acting industry.  Voice seekers are looking for something that stands out from the rest of the crowd, which is a great point. But, unfortunately, our industry has been so saturated with styles and deliveries, it’s becoming harder and harder to have a sound that has never been heard or felt somewhere in the audio world.

A voice talent can get pretty insecure trying to keep up with all the changes and may feel like their style is still not enough to impress the most understanding of voice seekers.  Yes, it can be a daunting task, but perhaps the focus needs an adjustment.

Be You Anyway

Most people can learn to act and portray characters or types of voiceover delivery.  However, if the most popular style changes with each cycle of the moon, it can be challenging to keep with “what’s in.”  Perhaps the answer is trying not to fully fit in.  The best advice I keep hearing from others is to “just be you.”  Becoming comfortable in being oneself can be a lifelong task. However, if we master being ourselves, we may reach our own voiceover nirvana.
“This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.     ―  William Shakespeare, Hamlet

Know the Great One – You

Becoming “you real,” starts with a review and study of how you talk and deliver words and emotions.  Recording yourself in different situations like while talking to a friend, a client, or someone you care for, can help you learn your authentic sound.  Once you’ve studied the true actor in you, you can shape your voiceover deliveries to reflect your sound.  That original “you” voice sound is conversational and authentic.  Once you’ve studied and mastered you, your sound will never go out of style. There is an audience for your realness as you use that talent to connect and deliver your scripts.

As I’ve blogged before, change in life is a constant, but no one or thing should force you to switch from being who you really are. As voice talents, let’s remember that our best performance is when we are genuinely ourselves and free to give our best performance.

Brake that lip!

Filed Under: Personal VO Views, Voice over Training, voiceover Tagged With: compassionate voiceover, voiceover, voiceovers

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